The No. 16 Buffalo Bulls (16-1, 4-0 MAC) put their five-game winning streak on the line when they meet the Eastern Michigan Eagles (8-9, 2-2 MAC) at Alumni Arena. The game starts at 7 p.m. ET on Friday, January 18, 2019, and will air on ESPNU.
Eastern Michigan Eagles vs. Buffalo Bulls ATS Prediction
The Eagles are trying to rebound after their 51-49 loss to the Akron Zips in their last matchup. Akron’s free throw rate was their largest advantage over Eastern Michigan. The Zips had a rate of 0.156 (below their season average of 0.224), while the Eagles posted a mark of 0.040 (below their season average of 0.176). Boubacar Toure was the top scorer from either team with 15 points on 7-for-9 shooting.
The last time the Bulls played, they defeated the Western Michigan Broncos, 88-79. Buffalo out-rebounded Western Michigan. The Bulls had 13 offensive rebounds and 39 total rebounds, while the Broncos had six and 33, respectively. Jeremy Harris led Buffalo in scoring with 22 points on 6-for-17 shooting from the field.
This will be the second game of the season between these two teams. In the first, Montell McRae put up 18 points and seven rebounds and the Bulls defeated the Eagles 74-58. The Bulls had a better free throw rate (0.241 vs. 0.143) and had a much better effective field goal percentage (0.565 vs. 0.389).
Both teams have had a player step their game up over their last five games. James Thompson IV (16 points,13.4 rebounds,1.4 blocks) has been great for the Eagles while Harris (20 points,7.6 rebounds,3.4 assists,1.4 steals) has made great contributions to the Bulls.
It will be a matchup of opposite tempos as the fast-breaking Bulls will look to push the more grind-it-out Eagles. The Bulls rank 59th in possessions per game while the Eagles are 280th. Ball protection could be troublesome for the Eagles. They rank 310th at avoiding errors (turnover percentage of 21.8 percent), while the Bulls force the 58th-most turnovers in the nation (opponents’ turnover percentage of 22.3 percent).
Eastern Michigan at Buffalo ATS Pick
Basketball Prediction: SU Winner – Buffalo, ATS Winner – Buffalo, O/U – Over
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Notes
Betting Notes:
Buffalo averages 28.2 three pointers per game, which ranks 18th in the NCAA. Eastern Michigan ranks 237th in three pointers allowed per game (26.2).
The Bulls average 17.5 assists per game, which ranks 13th in the nation. The Eagles rank 232nd in assists allowed per game (17.6).
Eastern Michigan ranks 57th in rebounds per game (38.6) while Buffalo ranks 210th in rebounds allowed per game (37.5).
The Bulls rank seventh in steals allowed per game (4.5) while the Eagles rank 157th (7.5).
Eastern Michigan averages 4.6 blocks per game, which ranks 28th in the nation. Buffalo ranks 111th in blocks allowed per game (3.7).
Bettings Trends:
The Eagles have been outscored by an average of 1.2 points in their last five games. For the season, Eastern Michigan has defeated opponents by an average of 0.8 points.
During their last five games, the Bulls have scored an average of 89.4 points per game (3.8 above their season average) and allowed an average of 70.6 points per game (0.7 above their season average).
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